Sermons, ramblings, and maybe an occasional rant from a Lutheran subject of Jesus Christ.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Sermon -- 17th Sunday after Trinity (October 12, 2014)

PROVERBS 25:6-13

ONLY THE KING CAN TRULY EXALT YOU.

In
the name + of Jesus.

When you read through the book of Proverbs, you may get the impression that
Solomon’s words are nothing more than pithy advice. The whole book appears to be one verse of
homespun wisdom after another. But if
that is all the book of Proverbs is, then we can put it on par with Aesop’s
Fables or the Farmer’s Almanac. The big difference
is that whenever we conclude a reading from the book of Proverbs, we say: “The
Word of the Lord.” Therefore, the book
of Proverbs is more than handy advice.
It is divine revelation. And
though we may not always grasp why the Lord gave us individual proverbs, we can
be sure that these are God’s
words. These are sayings our Lord wants
us to know and to ponder.

Solomon wrote: “Do not put yourself forward in
the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, forit is better to be told, ‘Come up
here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” (Proverbs 25:6-7)
We live in a society where people demand respect from other people but
do not place a very high priority on showing respect. It is bullying disguised as self-esteem.

While some may cower to demands of respect,
such demands will not work before a king.
The king reigns supreme.
He does not propose laws that can be debated or vetoed. The king makes the laws because he is the law. And when the king makes a judgment, there is
no court of appeals. The king is the
judge. His word is the authority. His word is final. So, to prop yourself up before a king or to
demand respect and honor from him is foolish.
You do not exalt yourself before a king.
Only the king can truly exalt you.
If you exalt yourself, the king will humiliate you by letting you know
what your place really is. Then he will subject
you to it.

The Lord God Almighty is the king before whom you and I stand. We often forget our place before him. We are always inclined to tell the Lord how
good and godly we are. Perhaps we
compare ourselves to others and expect God to rank us accordingly. Perhaps we think of some good works that we
are especially proud of and want God to reward us for them. Or perhaps we think that God thinks of us as
highly as we think of ourselves.

Again, Solomon
warns, “What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, forwhat will you do
in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?” (Proverbs 25:7-8) We like to think
that we are good judges of people. We
grade them both on their actions and on their attitudes. The standard by which we grade is
ourselves. We compare others with
us. Often, we take the worst that we see
in others and compare it with the best that we see in ourselves. Then we look down on others while we exalt
ourselves, assuming that God shares our judgment. Do not bring hastily to God’s court what your
eyes see and what you assume to be true.
You will be put to shame by people whose stories you do not know and
whose hearts you cannot read. It is just
as likely that their good deeds and kind words will put you to shame because
they are better than yours.

“What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court…” (Proverbs 25:7) Your case, based on
what you think, will be thrown out of God’s court. You will be humiliated because your judgments
are flawed. Your judgments are flawed
because your heart and mind are flawed.
Sinners always dream and scheme how they can exalt themselves. We write and recite our own eulogies long
before we die. Some may humor you and
let you exalt yourself. But before your
God and King, you cannot exalt yourself anymore than you can make yourself
weigh less by pulling up on your shoes.
The King knows your heart, and his judgment is always right and
just. This news does not inspire
confidence. It instills fear, and for
good reason. Repent.

Solomon wrote, “A word fitly spoken is like
apples of gold in a setting of silver. Likea gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover toa listening ear.” (Proverbs
25:11-12) The Lord speaks a fitting word to you, and to
the one craving hope, it is a most beautiful, lovely, and priceless word. This word fitly spoken is a word of
correction, because it points you away from yourself and your own
judgment. It is a word that graciously
delivers you from trying to make a case for yourself. It is a merciful word which spares you from
trying to exalt yourself in God’s presence.
After all, God is only pleased with that which is holy. And no matter how fond you are of how well
you behave, you cannot possibly believe you are holy.

Do not humble
yourself before the King because that is how you play the game or that is how
you get noticed. Be humble because that
is your rightful place. There is no
reason for you to exalt yourself.
Nonetheless, the Lord has taken notice of you in your lowly place. Kings usually do not waste their time
considering the outcasts, but your King, Jesus Christ, has take up your case
and has united himself with your cause.
The King of heaven and earth
descended from his throne on high to have compassion on the lowly. He took your place in the court, and his
neighbors filed all kinds of shameful charges against him. Even though Jesus is the God that Caiaphas
made Israel’s
sacrifices to, Jesus did not exalt himself or demand respect in Caiaphas’
court. Jesus did not even refute the
charges; he simply accepted the guilt. Then
Jesus was led to Pilate’s court. Even
though Jesus is the God who worked out world history to bring the Romans to
power and Pilate to his position of authority, Jesus did not demand his due
from Pilate. He did not protest that his
sentence was unjust or that the charges were untrue. Jesus took the lowest place; for he was
standing in the stead of sinners. He
submitted himself to suffer and die for you.

As Jesus endured
scorn and shame at the cross, he continued to speak fitting words. He prayed for mercy on his executioners. He absolved a criminal who confessed that he
deserved the death sentence, but more importantly confessed that Jesus was his
King. And Jesus finally spoke before he
died, “It is finished.” Any effort you
feel you need to make to prove yourself better than your neighbor is
finished. Any argument you dream up to
console yourself that you are good enough is finished. Any scheme that you devise to convince God
that you are good enough is finished. These
are finished and unnecessary and useless.
Jesus has taken your shame so that he can exalt you. The righteousness you need to stand before
God Jesus has been rendered. The sins
you need to be cleansed of Jesus has taken away. Jesus rose from the dead to claim complete
authority over all things. And your King
has uttered the final word: You are acquitted, forgiven, and saved.

Only the King
can truly exalt you. And he does! “It is better to be told, ‘Come up
here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” (Proverbs 25:7)
Jesus has summoned you to status that is higher than any this world
knows. Jesus has given you a name
greater than any this world can give: You are a Christian. You have been cleansed by the blood of
Christ. You have been branded by the
name of Christ. And you will inherit a place
at the heavenly feast with Jesus Christ.
To assure you of that, Jesus summons you already to his feast now. Here, the holy things are given to the holy
ones. The holy things are the body and
blood of Christ, and the holy ones are you; for you are Christ’s. This is how Jesus highly exalts you. It is Jesus who makes you children of the
Most High God and heirs of his everlasting kingdom. And since Jesus is the King of heaven and
earth, his word has authority. His word
is the law. He is the judge. And his word is final. Only the king can truly exalt you. He does, and he will for all eternity.

In the name of the Father and of the Son +
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.